Apparatus for removing tars from tobacco smoke



March 23, 1965 W. MISSLER APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TARS FROM TOBACCO SMOKE Filed April 15, 1963 la 26 28 I2 [6 g 20 B 35 Fig. 2

Fig. 4

INVENTOR. WILLIAM M ISSLER United States Patent 3,174,487 APPARATUS FOR REMQVING TARS FROM TOBACCO SMOKE William Missler, 1207 Trieste Drive, San Diego 7, Calif. Filed Apr. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 273,194 1 Claim. (Cl. 131187) This invention relates generally to tobacco smoking devices and particularly to a device for removing harmful tars and other precipitatable matter from tobacco smoke.

Background Cigar and cigarette holders and filters for use in cigars, cigarettes, holders and pipes are well known in the art. Some of the disadvantages of prior art devices are removal of aromatic and taste qualities along with the unwanted tars, discharge of accumulated tar fluids into the smokers mouth, frequent clogging of the smoke passages causes difliculty in drawing smoke through the device, and inaccessibility of clogged passages for cleaning.

The instant invention is a device for regulating the flow of tobacco smoke and removing harmful tars therefrom, said device being specifically designed to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art described above and to provide more complete removal of tars and other solid matter.

Objects It is a principal object of this invention to provide a device that separates harmful tars from tobacco smoke.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a device that removes harmful tars without affecting the natural aromatic and taste qualities of tobacco smoke.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tobacco smoke tar removal device that is simple in structure, may be manufactured cheaply, and requires no maintenance except periodic cleaning.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of elements as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claim, and illustrated in the drawings that form a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the inventon;

FIGURE 2 shows an application of the invention installed in a cigar or cigarette holder;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary portion of the plug end, that is, the generally cylindrical portion of a bafiie unit similar to that shown at the right hand end of FIGURE 1, showing a different channel configuration; and

FIGURE 4 is similar to FIGURE 3 with a different channel configuration;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view, showing a modification of the plug end employing a sleeve with an angular channel therein installed on the plug end.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing.

Detailed description The instant invention comprises batfle unit as illu trated in FIGURES 1 and 2. Baffle unit 10 has an elongated, solid, generally cylindrical spindle 11, a hemispherical end 12, a cylindrical plug end 14, and an intermediate flange 16, said spindle, ends and flange being unitary and coaxial. Slots 18, parallel with the battle unit longitudinal axis, are equally spaced in the periphery of the hemispherical end 12, and similar slots are equally spaced in the periphery of flange 16. Angular grooved channel 22 in the periphery of plug end 14 is adapted to be laterally closed by the internal walls of the hereinafter referred to chamber 44 andthis channel 22 has a longitudinal inlet portion 24, transverse intermediate portion 26, and longitudinal, diverging outlet portion 28. While angular, grooved channel 22 is shown as an integral part of cylindrical plug end 14, to facilitate manufacture, plug end 14 could be reduced in diameter to fit into a sleeve containing the desired angular channel as illustrat ed in FIGURE 5. In FIGURE 5, plug end 52 of reduced diameter fits snugly in sleeve 54. Sleeve 54 contains angular channel 56. The outside diameter of sleeve 54 is the same as plug end 14. Slots 18 and outlet portion 28 are staggered in longitudinal relationship to slots 20'. Baffle unit 10 preferably is constructed of metal, such as aluminum, but may be constructed of any other suitable material, such as plastic. The width, depth, and length of slots 18 and 20 and angular, grooved channel 22 may vary according to the specific use of bafile unit 10.

In FIGURE 2, bafile unit 10 is shown installed in a cigar or cigarette holder of conventional design comprising mouthpiece 30 and tube 32. Bafiie unit 10 also may be installed in other smoking devices, such as a pipe stern.

Mouth piece 30 includes longitudinal duct 34, enlarged socket 36, and internal threads 37. Tube 32 has external threads 38, and is designed to fit snugly the end of a cigar or cigarette as shown at 40.

When assembled a portion of hemispherical end 12 fits into duct 34, abutting on planar annular shoulder 35 near the mouthpiece end of the holder, and slots 18 provide passageways between duct 34 and chamber 42. Similarly, slots 20 in flange 16 provide passageways between chambers 42 and 44, the solid structure of flange 16 fitting snugly with enlarged socket 36. Shoulder 46 in tube 32 abuts flange 16, keeping baifle unit 10 secured firmly in mouthpiece 30, and cylindrical plug end 14 fits snugly in tube 32, angular, grooved channel 22 providing a passageway between chamber 44 and space 48 in tube 32. While only one angular, grooved channel 22 is shown, additional, similar channels may be disposed in the perimeter of plug 14. Also, while, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, longitudinal inlet portion 24 and transverse intermediate portion 26 form a right angle, other angles and configurations for channel 22 may be used, such as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4. Preferably, the angle between inlet portion 24 and transverse portion 26 should be a right angle or an acute angle for maximum effectiveness as hereinafter described.

The effectiveness of baflle unit 10 in removing tars from tobacco smoke is determined primarily by the passage of smoke at high velocity through angular channel 22 and secondarily by the winding or tortuous path of the smoke through slots 20 and 18 as indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 2. Tobacco smoke drawn into space 48 enters inlet portion 24 and is accelerated to a high velocity by the reduced cross section of inlet portion 24. The accelerated smoke then strikes confronting wall 50 of transverse intermediate portion 26, causing the larger and heavier tar molecules to be precipitated from the smoke. The smoke then proceeds through transverse intermediate portion 26 and diverging, outlet portion 28 into chamber 44. The precipitated tars flow by the same path into chamber 44, the diverging outlet portion preventing accumulated tars from clogging channel 22.

The tobacco smoke, with a high percentage of tars removed by the action described, disperses in chamber 44, is accelerated by passage through slots 20, disperses in chamber 42, is accelerated by passage through slots 18, and finally enters duct 34. In passing from chamber 44 to chamber 42 and to duct 34, the tobacco smoke strikes the solid structure of flange 16 and hemispherical end 12, causing additional precipitation of tar molecules.

The tars precipitated by angular channel 22, flange 16,

and hemispherical end 12 are trapped in chambers 44 and 42 by the solid portions of flange 16 and hemispherical end 12 and prevented from entering duct 34.

In passing from space 48 through duct 34 and the intervening passages, the smoke is cooled by contact with the surrounding structure. Thus the instant invention provides a cool, satisfying smoke with most of the harmful tars eliminated.

Location of the smoke passageways and the tar trapping chambers on the periphery of baffle unit 10 provides a useful feature in that the device is easily cleaned, there being no internal passageways to become clogged, such internal passageways also being hard to clean. Bathe unit 10 may be cleaned by wiping accumulated tars from the exterior surfaces with a rag or cleansing tissue. In case of hardened deposits, the unit may first be immersed in a cleaning fluid. The combined effect of the angular channel and staggered slots also provides removal of a greater proportion of harmful tars than in prior art devices.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

A cigarette holder having an inner mouthpiece end and an outer socket end adapted to receive one end of a cigarette, the cigarette holder having means providing a smoke duct extending longitudinally therethrough, the holder having a planar annular shoulder near the mouthpiece end, the plane of the shoulder extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the holder and comprising the inner end of a cylindrical chamber extending outwardly of the holder from said shoulder to the outer end thereof, and a bafile unit adapted to be inserted into the chamber from the outer end thereof, the bafile unit including a solid cylindrical central core member having a diameter which is less than that of the internal diameter of the chamber, the outer end of the baflle unit including a solid cylindrical axial outer extension of said core and having a diameter providing a friction fit with the interior wall of the chamber, the inner end of the unit having an enlargement having a planar surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the holder, said surface providing the base of a substantially hemispherical portion, the said planar surface being circular in outline, the peripheral portion of said extension having groves formed therein adapted to be laterally closed by the internal wall of said chamber to provide duct means leading from the socket to the interior of the chamber, and said enlargement being adapted to abut the radially inner edge of said shoulder, said enlargement having grooves in the surface of the hemispherical portion thereof adapted to be laterally closed by said edge, providing means for the smoke to be drawn from said chamber when the holder is in use.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 299,3 5 7 5/84 Dittenfoefer.

761,447 5/04 Cassidy.

879,796 2/08 Plane 131--210 1,261,038 4/18 Labreche 131-210 1,462,905 7/23 Frost 131209 X 2,575,488 11/51 Carlson 131-210 X FOREIGN PATENTS 5,384 1890 Great Britain. 413,521 5/46 Italy.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

' JOSEPH s. .REICH, Examiner. 

